Centrifugal gun.



E. Ei P0RTER.. CENTRIFUGAL GUN. APPLICATIION FILED A'UG. 30;!916.

Patented A r. 17,1917,

n was n-snzns m. Pnomuma. WASNINORIM. u. c

EDGAR E. ronrnn, or COLUMBIA, soU'rH cAnoLINA.

I I cnn'rnrruear. GUN.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it. known that I, EDGAR E. PORTER, a

I citizen of the United States, residing at Golumbia, in the county of Richland and State of South Carolina, have invented certain new and useful-Improvements in Centrifugal Guns, of which the following is a specication.

This invention relates to machine guns of the centrifugal type, and the purpose of the invention is to improve the means for feeding and discharging'the bullets, and to simplify the aiming'of the gun.

Broadly stated, of two coaxial contactin impelling disks which rotate in the same direction at different speeds. One disk has a groove conforming to the longitudinal half section of a bullet. This groove starts as a circular are near the center of the disk but gradually decreases and 'then reverses in curvature so as to terminate at the periphery in a radial are so designed as to cross each other at approximately right angles in all positions of the disks and receive and confine a bullet offproper shape fed to them at the centers of the disks.

The disks are driven in the same direction atunequal speeds having some simple ratio such as 6:5. A simple ratiois necessary to permitthe discharge of the bullets at a constant point. With the mechanism so arranged the bullets are gradually fed outward during a number .of turns of the disk and then discharged at a definite point. A driving gear'train is devised so.as to take its power from a vertical shaft thus-permitting the orienting of he gun without affecting the power source. A casing or shell'having a harrel'tangent to the disks is mounted on trunnions'coa xial with the disks and may be shifted a worm to vary the vertical angle or elevation of'the discharging bullets.

one embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing; in

Figure 1- is a section on the line li of Bpecificationof Letters Patent.

he device involvesthe use! Patented Apr. 17, 191? Application filed August 80, 1916. Seria1No. 117,708.

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 22 of Fig. 1; and

. Fig. 3 is a fragmentary detail of the worm mechanism. for elevating the barrel. 1

In the drawings 6 represents the upper partof a base or edestal on which the main frame or casing may be rotated on a vertical axis. The main drive shaft 8, which is vertical and may be driven by any suitable motor (not shown), turns in a, bearing-9 in the frame 7 and" carries a bevel gear 10. The gear 10 meshes with a bevel gear 11 on shaft 12 which in turn drives the shaft 13 V through gears 14 and 15. The shafts 12 and 13 are both mounted in frame 7 and the shaft 13 carries fast upon it two unequal spur gearsv 16 and 17 meshing with a pair of coaxial gears 18 and 19.

The gear 18 which is the smaller is fast u on a stub shaft 20 connected to a disk 21. he gear 19 is fast upon a sleeve 22 which extends from disk 23 and surrounds stub shaft 20. The ratios of gears 16 and 18, and 17 and 19 are so chosen that the ratio of the speeds of disks 21 and 23 isa simple one, the disk 21 moving faster. The ratio 6: 5 is a suitable one.

The disk 21 has a projecting tubular sleeve 24 on which it turns. The sleeves 22 and 24- turn insleeve portions 25 and 26 of a divided casing 27, the casing 27 surrounding the disks 21 and 23 and having a discharge barrel 28 tangent to their peripheries. The sleeves 25 and 26'are mounted in bearings 29 and 30 in frame 7 so that the barrel 28 may be elevated or depressed by swinging the casing 27. Such swinging is effected by rotating a worm 31, which meshes with a wormwheel sector 32 formed on casing 27.

The disk'21 which is the faster moving disk has a. groove33 conforming to the longitudinal half section of the bullet. The groove 33 starts at the hollow sleeve 24 throughwhich the bullets are fed as a circular arc groove, decreases and then reverses L forward, with reference'to the direction of frotatio'n into circular arc'form'mt the pe riphery. 'Its position and form'are midi-1:

cateddi agrammatically in dotted lines in Fig. 1. y

In the drawings the grooves are designed to receive cylindrical-bullets-with rounded are adjusted by means of the worm 31 to determine the elevation or angle of discharge, the barrel serving to determine the trajectory of the bullets exactly as a rifle barrel would do. The range of such adjustment is considerable as the bullets are discharged from the disk some distance to the rear of the point vvof tangency of the barrel and pursue acurved path within the shell 27 of the shell 27 and the barrel may be rifled if desired.

The bullets are fed to the grooves 33, 34 through the axial opening in sleeve 24. The mechanism for doing this may take various forms and is not shown. Any device operabl by the rotation of the disks or otherwise tofeed the bullets, one at a time, to the been omitted. I

In uselthe shaft 8 is rotated at. .suitable speed driving the disks through the described mechanism. The gunis aimed by turni frame 7 on, base 6 and by tipping shell '2 with its. barrel 28 by means of worm 31. Bullets fed in through sleeve 24=and presented to the grooves in the disks are revolved at high-speed in a pathof increasing radiusand then discharged at a high lineal velocity through barrel-28. H

The showing in the drawings is largely schematicandvarious modifications and refinements are obviously possible and. are contemplated, the present application being directed to the broader prlnciples involved in the invention. I Having thus described'my inventiom'what' 0' I claim is. 1 i i 1 In a'machine gun of the centrifugal i type thejc'ombination of a pair of juxtaposed coaxial disks "provided with complementary bullet receiving grooves ontheir prox mate faces, the groove on one disk being of aps. 1 As will be obvious the crossing of the two grooves afiords space to receive a bullet until they reach the barrel 28. The interior grooves might be used, and as such mechanism would confuse the drawings it has.

the groove on the first disk at approxia simple ratio; and an adjustable barrelfor proximately volute. fonnand the groove sively changing'point'in its length as the disks are differentially rotated; and means for imparting difi'erential rotation to the disks.

'2. In a machine gun of the" centrifugal type the combination of a pairof juxtaposed coaxialdisks provided with complementary bullet receiving grooves on their proximate faces, the groove on one disk being of approximately; voluteform and the groove on the other disk being so formed as to cross the-groove on' the first disk at approximately a ri ht angle at a progressively chan 'ng point -in its=length as the disks are ifi'e'rentially rotated; and means forimparting difierential rotation to the disks.

3. In a machine gun of the centrifugal type the combination of, a pair of juxtaposed coaxial disks provided with complementary bullet receiving grooves on their proximate faces, the groove on one disk being of approximately volute form, and the groove of the other disk having a curvature which gradually decreases and then reverses from the center toward the periphery, whereby the two grooves always cross each other substantially at a right angle; and means for rotating said disks at differential speeds. s 1

4. In a machine. gun of the. centrifugal type the combination of a pair of uxtaposed coaxial disks provided with complementary bullet receiving grooves on their proximate faces, the groove on one disk being of zip proximately volute form andthe groove on the other disk being so'formed as to cross the groove on the first disk at a progressively changing point in its length as the disks are differentially rotated; means for rotating said disks at diflerential speeds having a simple ratio; and an adjustable barrelffor receiving and directing the bullets discharged from said grooves at the peripheries of said disks. 7 In a machine'gun of the centrifugal type the combination of a pair of juxtaposed coaxial disks provided with complementary bulletreceiving grooves on-their proximate faces, the groove on one disk being of approximately volute form and the groove on the other disk being so formed as to cross 'ilim 12 1) mately a right angle at a progressively changing point in its length asthe disks are differentially rotated; means; for rota ting said disks at difierential speeds haying receiving 7 and directing I the bullets ,di schar ed from said grooves attho perip'heries 0 said disks. I k v :"ff 6. In a machine er the centrifugal type the combination of a pair of juxtaposed are naaaoee coaxial disks provided with complementary bullet receiving grooves on their proximate faces, the groove on one disk being of approximately volute form, and the groove of the other disk having a curvature which gradually decreases and then reverses from the center toward the periphery, whereby thetwo grooves always cross each other substantially at a right angle; means for rotating said disks at differential speeds hav ing a simple ratio; and an adjustable oarrel for receiving and directing the bullets discharged from said grooves at the periphcries of said disks.

7. In a machine gun of the centrifugal type the combination of a pair of coaxial rotary members having proximate faces provided with complementary bullet receiving grooves, the grooves on the two members being so formed relatively to each other as to cross each other at progressively changing points in their lengths as the members are I differentially rotated; and means for imparting differential rotation to said members.

8. In a machine gun of the centrifugal type the combination of a pair of coaxial rotary members having juxtaposed faces pro- Gopiea of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by

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vided with complementary bullet receiving grooves, said grooves being so formed as to cross each other at approximately a right angle at progressively changing points in the lengths of said grooves as the members are differentially rotated; and means for imparting differential rotation to said members.

9. In a machine gun of the centrifugal type the combination of a pair of juxtaposed coaxial disks provided with complementary bullet receiving prooves on their proximate faces, the groove on one disk being of approximately volute form and the groove on the other disk being so formed as to cross the groove on the'first disk at a progressively changing point in its length as the disks are differentially rotated; means for rotating said disks at differential speeds having a simple ratio; a casing adjustably mounted concentrically with said disks and provided with a barrel tangent to the peripheries of said disks; and means for adjusting and holding said casin and barrel.

In testimony W ereof I have signed my name to this specification.

EDGAR PORTER.

addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, a. e. 

